[glassartisan]

Hi guys,

Been doing alot of reading on the forum here about the right caliber that will fit me.As soon as I determine it I will be ordering the G2 contender in a 12 inch bullberry barrel. I dont currently reload but I most likely will once I find out cost of factory ammo. Would like to deer hunt for the first time next season with the pistol. The calibers Im leaning towards are the 30-30, 44 mag or 45 LC. I liked the 7-30 waters but that apears to be a wildcat and or buying the already made casings is hard to find and costly. Most of my hunting will be in the woods and near swamps.Not too many open fields.100 yards is probally the max distance. I like the 30-30, is easily and cheaply available. But from what I hear about is it will be very inefficient from factory loads.Alot of the powder will be wasted outside the barrel. I never shot the 44 mag but it sounds like it works good upto 75 yards or so on deer. Will I need to strengthen my wrists for this. Or would a muzzle brake help. And the 45 long colt I hear alot of the guys like this over the 44 mag. Maybe too much for my type of hunting. I will be using the 12 inch barrel. What about accuracy; is there one caliber over the other I mentioned that is more accurate between 50 and 100 yards? Thanks guys for setting this greenhorn right with your expert advice, Steve

 

[45_70Sharps]

If it were me and I had it down to a short list that you have, I would go with the 30-30 hands down.
All the calibers that you listed are fairly low power, short distance rounds but the 30-30 is going to give you the most killing range on a deer.
30-30 has been around for about 120 years and has taken a lot of game.

 

[broom_jm]

Uh, no disrespect intended, Sharps, but at the range listed (100 yards) all three of these cartridges will kill deer with startling consistency. None of them will be any more or less accurate than the gun/barrel/shooter they are being shot from and recoil will be close enough you can't really choose, based on that. If range will never exceed 100 yards, and factory loads will always be used, the 44 Mag probably offers the most options in ammo.

As the OP has already noted, the 30/30 loads out there will work, but will not be getting the most from the slower powders they are loaded with. The two pistol cases will make more efficient use of the 12" barrel, even if handloads are used for the 30/30. However, if a longer shot will occasionally present itself, the 30/30 would have a flatter trajectory out to 200+ yards than the bigger, slower bullets.

NOTE: If the decision is made to reload, 7-30 Waters cases are extremely easy to make and load yourself. That should not be a consideration, if you like the performance it offers.

 

[pruhdlr]

If.....??.....AI It

Within the parameters set by the OP(12"bbl,100yds)for me it would be (hands down) the .30-30.

For the factory loaded stuff available,for the reloading components available,for the seatability of the longer bullets in .308cal,among other reasons. PLUS--->if you still felt that you wanted "more",you could simply have it AI'ed. This, for an honest bump up of 150fps in velocity using .30-30 brass or even more if you use 375Win brass.

A 12" Encore, shooting .30-30AI, using 375Win brass,shooting a 190-210gr long seated bullet,would surely get ANY job done.

And....just gotta add,personally I would go with the Encore Pro Hunter in stainless. -----pruhdlr

 

[big dan]

i too would go with the 30/30... the 44 would work fine for 100yd shooting but if you needed a bit more the trajectory gets tricky quick!! as much as i love the 45 colt, if using factory ammo i would not even consider it.
i use an encore in iowa with a 15" 45 colt barrel (no 410, strictly colt) but i use casull brass cut back to colt length and load somewhere between colt and casull pressures... actually i strive for the 250gr hornady ftx @ 1800fps. and it is attainable but if you are relying on factory ammo the colt is a poor choice.
if you are concerned about the "efficiency" of the 30/30 add a couple inches of barrel or do what i do, simply don't worry about it as realistically it doesn't matter!

 

[miestro_jerry]

If you reloaded, a 45-70 can be loaded to almost anthing in a Contender.

Jerry

 

[xphunter]

30-30 is the easy answer

 

[glassartisan]

Thanks for the input

Thanks guys for all your thoughts. I will let you know what I decide. Steve

 

[stinky]

.44 is said to have a wicked recoil in a Contender...and I assume that .45 would be the same. So, my recommendation is not one of those two. (my friend below gave me that info). I can tell you that a .44 mag revolver can be difficult to control, especially if you aren't a pistol shooter.

7-30 is not a wildcat and it is a great round in a Contender. I have a friend that had a one shot kill on an antelope at 294 yards. I only found one company that makes it.
They shoot really good, w/low recoil. He hunts w/it on all manner of Colorado beasties.

http://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/rifle.aspx?id=364

But, if you decide on 30-30, you should be shooting a spitzer bullet and only one company(that I found) loads it, and it is on closeout. But, if you are only going to shoot to 100 yards, then I don't suppose that it matters

http://www.dakotaammo.net/CORBON-Hunter/30-30-150gr-Bonded-Spitzer-SP/CLHT3030150SP-20/300/Product

At that distance, accuracy is not really an issue, as all of em will hold it in a tennis ball sized group, all day long.

Now, I lean towards the Waters, but when I was thinking of buying one, I was looking at the thurtty thurtty...a sptizer in a Contender shoots as flat as a round nose in a rifle, or is it almost as flat. To a hundred yards, it won't matter, it is as flat.

 

[broom_jm]

.44 is said to have a wicked recoil in a Contender...and I assume that .45 would be the same. So, my recommendation is not one of those two. (my friend below gave me that info). I can tell you that a .44 mag revolver can be difficult to control, especially if you aren't a pistol shooter.

7-30 is not a wildcat and it is a great round in a Contender. I have a friend that had a one shot kill on an antelope at 294 yards. I only found one company that makes it.
They shoot really good, w/low recoil. He hunts w/it on all manner of Colorado beasties.

But, if you decide on 30-30, you should be shooting a spitzer bullet and only one company(that I found) loads it, and it is on closeout. But, if you are only going to shoot to 100 yards, then I don't suppose that it matters

At that distance, accuracy is not really an issue, as all of em will hold it in a tennis ball sized group, all day long.

Now, I lean towards the Waters, but when I was thinking of buying one, I was looking at the thurtty thurtty...a sptizer in a Contender shoots as flat as a round nose in a rifle, or is it almost as flat. To a hundred yards, it won't matter, it is as flat.

Stinky,

Any handgun hunting round worth its salt is going to kick pretty good. Of the four you mentioned, the difference in recoil is negligible and all four can be managed pretty easily. Honestly, the biggest flame belcher is going to be the 30/30, especially with factory loads, because a good deal of powder will be burning as it flies out the end of the barrel. (Too slow for the shorter, pistol-length barrel.) As such, the 30/30 will have just as much perceived recoil as the 44Mag, if not more. I shoot the 7-30 Waters and I assure you that a 120gr bullet at 240fps, out of a 14" barreled pistol, is not something for the uninitiated. In other words, all of these cartridges present recoil you should work up to by shooting smaller pistol rounds, first. Range and accuracy at 100 yards would not present a problem for any of these four rounds, but the two smaller bullets would allow another 100 yards of lethal range, with practice.

 

[45_70Sharps]

If you reloaded, a 45-70 can be loaded to almost anthing in a Contender.

Jerry

If we were going off of the original list, 45-70 would be a top choice in my book also for the contender. Maybe the 14" barrel.
Buy an encore and the choices are endless. Or do like me and own both.
They don't make many critters that you can't stop with the 45-70! In factory loading the recoil is pretty mild also. Recoil being a relative thing of course, and I don't know what you can shoot comfortably.

 

[MikeG]

You guys must be tougher than me. My last experience with a Contender was in .30-30, and recoil was all I wanted, and then some. Something about how they want to twist out of your hand? My revolvers don't bother me as much, but that may be due to making stocks that fit my hands.

The Contender is definitely a unique critter. I don't see for the life of me how anyone could stand to shoot one in .45-70, but obviously people do.

Have fun.

 

[45_70Sharps]

Uh, no disrespect intended, Sharps, but at the range listed (100 yards) all three of these cartridges will kill deer with startling consistency. None of them will be any more or less accurate than the gun/barrel/shooter they are being shot from and recoil will be close enough you can't really choose, based on that. If range will never exceed 100 yards, and factory loads will always be used, the 44 Mag probably offers the most options in ammo.

As the OP has already noted, the 30/30 loads out there will work, but will not be getting the most from the slower powders they are loaded with. The two pistol cases will make more efficient use of the 12" barrel, even if handloads are used for the 30/30. However, if a longer shot will occasionally present itself, the 30/30 would have a flatter trajectory out to 200+ yards than the bigger, slower bullets.

NOTE: If the decision is made to reload, 7-30 Waters cases are extremely easy to make and load yourself. That should not be a consideration, if you like the performance it offers.

No offence taken.
I simply think that the 30-30 is a better and more versital round. I have all three, although I still haven't bought the octagon 30-30 pistol barrel that I want.
If he gets into reloading later in life, he can do a lot with the 30-30 where as the 44 and 45 are pretty much what they can be right from the factory. I've killed with my 44, and killed more with my 444, so even though the bullets that are designed for this caliber are not great hunting bullets as a rule, they can and will do the job. 30-30 has got the abulity to do it a bit better though.